Global News Post: Africa

Mali Fighters Destroy More Timbuktu Tombs

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghuA5M0xVVBPd7eY8Ubrn7xs6VNGiBethSQAIYRYpJqTQIzrFa0gFj5Be5GLjIuik_MD74hLXkjC_yJyE048x2tpveyqyzV90FPYBNcAsoh5ilMtsr2b_afionvlJxoq9s5hMy1_BRhIQ/s1600/2012122817175688.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghuA5M0xVVBPd7eY8Ubrn7xs6VNGiBethSQAIYRYpJqTQIzrFa0gFj5Be5GLjIuik_MD74hLXkjC_yJyE048x2tpveyqyzV90FPYBNcAsoh5ilMtsr2b_afionvlJxoq9s5hMy1_BRhIQ/s320/2012122817175688.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">NNN--- Armed groups occupying <st1:city w:st="on">Timbuktu</st1:city>
in northern <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Mali</st1:place></st1:country-region>
used pickaxes to smash up any remaining mausoleums in the ancient city, an
Islamist leader said on Dec 27, 2012. The rebels' ruthless implementation of
their version of Islamic law comes just days after the United Nations approved
a military force to wrest back control of the conflict-ridden area. "Not a
single mausoleum will remain in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Timbuktu</st1:place></st1:city>,
Allah doesn't like it," Ansar Dine leader Abou Dardar said". Photo
courtesy agencies<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Mali Fighters Destroy More Timbuktu Tombs

NNN--- Armed groups occupying Timbuktu in northern Mali used pickaxes to smash up any remaining mausoleums in the ancient city, an ...

Ghana Introduces Drought-Tolerant Maize to Improve Food Security

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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">An NNN-GNA Feature by Audrey Dekalu<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">ACCRA</span></st1:city></st1:place><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> (NNN-GNA) -- To Aba Antobam, a
subsistence Farmer, maize is her life blood. The crop is her main source of
income to cater for every need of her family.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">However, buying improved maize seeds such as
hybrid varieties is a huge gamble for <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Aba</st1:place></st1:city>
since the rainy season could be erratic, leading to unforeseen loss of income
and capital.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">In response to these challenges, in March
2010, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ghana</st1:place></st1:country-region>
introduced a drought-tolerant maize which is high yielding and affordable to
manage food security.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The varieties were collaboratively developed
by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ghana</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s Council
for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-Crops Research Institute and the
Savanna Agricultural Research Institute.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Manfred Ewool, the lead scientist and a
maize breeder at CSIR, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that the
farmers have welcomed the new varieties and have given them local names to
denote their characteristics and importance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">They are CSIR-Omankwa (giver of life), CSIR
Aburohemaa, (Queen mother of maize), CSIR-Abontem (extra early maize) and
CSIR-Enii Pibi (father’s child).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Ewool explained that it has taken an average
of more than 10 years, to reach millions of Ghanaians with improved
drought-tolerant maize varieties.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">He said events such as the severe floods and
drought of 2007, coupled with unpredicted rainfall patterns and harsh weather
conditions caused by climate change and a rise in global food and fuel prices
have cumulatively heightened the already existing vulnerabilities among people
and communities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Food security exists when all people, at all
times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and
nutritious food, which meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an
active and healthy life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Household food security is the application
of the concept to the family level, with individuals within households as the
focus of concern.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Statistics show that a total of 1.2 million
Ghanaians have limited access to sufficient and nutritious food throughout the
year, while another two million are at risk or becoming food insecure during
the lean season or at the onset of a natural or man-made disaster.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">These figures constitute between five to 10
per cent of the total population, but the majority of people at risk of food
insecurity are concentrated in Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions
(Provinces).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<st1:country-region w:st="on"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Ghana</span></st1:country-region><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> ranked 68th out of 105 countries
and third in sub-Saharan Africa after <st1:country-region w:st="on">South
 Africa</st1:country-region> (40th) and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Botswana</st1:place></st1:country-region> (47th) with an overall
score of 43.1 out of a possible score of 100. This called for something urgent
to be done to stem the tide.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">With the development of new techniques, all
existing tools to improve agricultural productivity such as biotechnology
deserve careful consideration and should be made available for farmers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Professor Eric Danquah, Director of the West
Africa Centre for Crop Improvement at the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Ghana</st1:placename></st1:place>,
said sub-Saharan African governments had paid only lip service to funding
scientific research.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">He called on the government of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ghana</st1:place></st1:country-region> to invest
in the training of a critical mass of scientists in addition to providing the
necessary infrastructure for agricultural development in research institutions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Since maize will remain a crucial part of
the food security equation even while the agricultural economies of the region
diversify, continued investments in both maize research and market institutions
are essential.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">It is therefore important for <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ghana</st1:place></st1:country-region> to adapt
local food production in order to manage food security and to address the
uncertainties and threats facing farming communities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The country must also explore ways of
combating food insecurity posed by climate change. -- NNN-GNA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Ghana Introduces Drought-Tolerant Maize to Improve Food Security

An NNN-GNA Feature by Audrey Dekalu ACCRA (NNN-GNA) -- To Aba Antobam, a subsistence Farmer, maize is her life blood. The crop is he...

EGYPT: Poor Hit Hardest As Political Tensions Persist

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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Photo: <a href="http://www.irinnews.org/photo/"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Amr Emam/IRIN</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Prices are going up<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<st1:city w:st="on"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">GIZA</span></st1:city><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> (IRIN) - For the first time in
months, Hussein Mohamed, a 50-year-old civil servant from the Giza Governorate
neighbourhood of Imbaba, northern <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Cairo</st1:place></st1:city>,
has had to tell his wife that he can no longer put food on the table. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Mohamed used to find ways to get by on the
small salary he receives, but with soaring food prices this is becoming
increasingly tough. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“I find it hard to say that I can’t feed my
family, but this is the reality,” Mohamed, an administrative worker from <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Cairo</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype></st1:place>,
told IRIN. “I am so tired and feel that I won’t be able to keep going.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Food prices in November were up 5.3 percent
on the same month last year, while market traders reported a doubling of many
prices since the summer for basics like onions, rice and pasta. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Mohamed and millions of vulnerable Egyptians
are coming to learn a painful lesson: they are the first to pay the price of
continued political tensions which have brought with <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Egypt started a new phase of political and
security turmoil on 22 November when its first democratically elected
president, Mohamed Morsi, issued a decree to exempt his decisions from judicial
scrutiny, and tensions persisted as millions voted in a controversial
constitutional plebiscite this month. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“Egyptians’ food security is in real peril,”
Rashad Abdo, an economics professor from <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Cairo</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype></st1:place>,
told IRIN. “Our country imports most of its food. The problem is that our
foreign currency reserves - necessary for buying this food from other countries
- are hitting rock bottom.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Egypt</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">’s foreign currency reserves
dropped to US$15 billion by the end of November, from US$36.1 billion on the
eve of the popular uprising that ousted former president Hosni Mubarak early
last year. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Economists like Abdo say these reserves will
allow the government to buy food for the people for three months only. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“This means that our country is galloping on
the road to an economic crisis at best, bankruptcy and famine at worst,” he
said. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Last week the government confirmed it would
be importing 180,000 tons of wheat from the USA - being one of the world’s
biggest wheat importers is a big strain on reserves. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Gloom <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">As debates around the constitution rage,
economic issues are increasingly prominent. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“Factories are closing down, poverty is
rising and a large number of people are losing their jobs,” Victor Fikry,
deputy chairman of Catholic charity Caritas <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Egypt</st1:place></st1:country-region> told IRIN. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The charity says that in the last few months
it has seen the number of people demanding small loans rise, but also a halving
of donations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Khaled Waked, a 49-year-old father of two,
used to think his job at a <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: white; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9.0pt;"><img alt="''" height="18" src="file:///C:/Users/Zainab/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtml1/01/clip_image001.jpg" v:shapes="_x0000_i1025" width="23" /></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: white; font-family: Tahoma;">I find it hard to say that I can’t
  feed my family, but this is the reality</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: white; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9.0pt;"><img alt="''" height="18" src="file:///C:/Users/Zainab/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtml1/01/clip_image002.jpg" v:shapes="_x0000_i1026" width="23" /><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>–
  Mohamed, university worker<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">calibration company was safe, after two
decades at the company. A few months ago, however, he was made redundant
because the company had no money to pay him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“I don’t know which way to turn,” Waked
said. “The economy suffers and this means that jobs are rare. But suppose there
are openings, who will hire an old man like me?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">There is no official estimate about the
number of Egyptians like Waked who lost their jobs in the months that followed
the revolution, but the African Development Bank says unemployment rose to 12.6
percent of the workforce (3.4 million people) in the second quarter of 2012.
(Arabic) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Another sector hit by the political turmoil
is tourism, which normally accounts for about 11 percent of gross domestic
product (GDP) and “is the most important source of foreign exchange earnings
for the national income at 20%.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Economists, however, say the worst may be
yet to come. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“An economic crisis means that jobs will
become scarcer and prices higher,” said Yumn Al Hamaky, an economics professor
from <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Ain</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Shams</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype></st1:place>.
“At the end of the day you will have more people who cannot satisfy the most
basic of their needs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Around 25.2 percent of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Egypt</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s 83
million people were in poverty in 2010-2011, compared with 21.6 percent in
2008-2009, according to the Egyptian government. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">A rapidly growing budget deficit, now at 170
billion pounds ($27.5 billion) and expected to rise to 200 billion pounds
($32.3 billion) soon, does not bode well for the future, Al Hamaky said. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Mismanagement <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Economists blame the economic downturn on
poor economic management and a lack of clear economic policies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The government seeks to reduce the budget
deficit to 8.5 percent from 11 percent of GDP by the end of fiscal year
2013-2014. To do this, it has taken several measures, including slashing the
subsidies on fuel for expensive cars and factories, but at the same time
raising the price of electricity and gas cylinders. (Arabic) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“All these measures will end up harming the
poor, rather than the rich,” said economist Alia Al Mahdy. “Factories that pay
more for fuel, for example, will raise the prices of their commodities and this
will harm the poor even more.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The government decided on 10 December to
raise taxes on dozens of commodities and services, including fuel, cigarettes,
mobile phone communication, and fertilizers, causing uproar and spreading fear
across this country. A few hours later, however, the president suspended the
decision. (Arabic) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">In a comic, but also bitter, expression of
public outrage at the state of confusion that grips government policies, a pop
singer has recently ridiculed the president in a hit in which she says the
president takes decisions in the morning, only to cancel them in the evening.
(Arabic) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">But this is no laughing matter for people
like Mohamed, the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Cairo</st1:placename>
 <st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype></st1:place> administrative
worker. When he went to the vegetable market a few hours after the president
suspended the tax rise, he discovered that the prices of almost all vegetables
and fruit had doubled. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“I bought one kilo of green pepper for 2.5
pounds (40 US cents) only one day before the government announced its decision
to raise the taxes,” Mohamed said. “The next time I went to the market, the
price reached five pounds. The same thing happened with all other vegetables
and fruit, even as the president suspended the decision.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Mohamed, whose salary is 1,800 pounds
($291), says rising prices oblige him to stop buying certain food items and
stick only to the basics. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“I give up one more items every day,” he
said. “I am sure I will continue to do this until nothing more is left for me
and my family to eat.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>

EGYPT: Poor Hit Hardest As Political Tensions Persist

Photo: Amr Emam/IRIN Prices are going up GIZA (IRIN) - For the first time in months, Hussein Mohamed, a 50-year-old civil serva...

Morsi Urges Egyptian Opposition to Engage After Constitution Enacted

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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">In an address on national TV Wednesday,
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi congratulated Egyptians for voting to approve
a new constitution and urged them to unite and work toward a better future. The
address came one day after he signed the controversial new constitution into
law.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Morsi says that by approving the
constitution, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Egypt</st1:country-region> was
moving from its “<st1:placename w:st="on">First</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Republic</st1:placetype>,” to a new “<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Second</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Republic</st1:placetype></st1:place>.”
Without mentioning the outcry and protests over how the constitution was
passed, Morsi thanked those who participated in what he called a free and fair
referendum.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">He said the Egyptian people chose to approve
the constitution by free will and under conditions of transparency, complete
judicial supervision, and protection by the army.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Opposition charges<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Opposition leaders claim that the vote was
tainted by numerous irregularities and fraud. <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Egypt</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s electoral commission,
however, dismissed most of those charges Tuesday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Morsi said he has no “desire to cling to
power” and that legislative authority has now been transferred to the Shoura</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> Council, the upper house of the
Egyptian parliament. Morsi said he has made mistakes, but that his decisions
were “made before God and in the interests of the nation.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The president said <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Egypt</st1:place></st1:country-region> is facing
serious economic difficulties and called on his countrymen to “work hard and
increase production.” He repeated a call for national dialogue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The Shoura Council met Wednesday to consider
various pieces of legislation after the new constitution gave it legislative
power, pending the election of a new lower house in two months.  Among that legislation is a bill restricting
financial dealings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs
Mohamed Mahsoub told the council that the bill should be approved quickly to
prevent the flight of capital and speculation:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">He said urgent legislation is needed to
fight corruption and recover stolen money, along with a law to prevent
speculation and stop those trying to sabotage state companies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Economy falters<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Egypt</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">'s council of ministers met
Wednesday to discuss the economic crisis facing the country. The new
constitution did little to resolve that crisis, say many analysts, but appeared
instead to intensify it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Said Sadek, who teaches political sociology
at the <st1:placename w:st="on">American</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype>
in <st1:city w:st="on">Cairo</st1:city>, said that <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Egypt</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s political opposition
appears to have decided not to mount major protests over the constitution and
will instead wait for the economic crisis to fuel further protests:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“The battle of the constitution is over, but
other battles are coming. A lot of people from the revolution opposition
believe that the government has mishandled the political situation and when
those who voted for this constitution realize that what they got is more
taxation and more economic hardship, you'll have a bigger pool of opposition,”
said Sadek.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">A $4.8-billion loan from the International
Monetary Fund was delayed amid <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Egypt</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s
ongoing political crisis.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Ratings agency Standard and Poor's
downgraded the country's long-term credit rating on Monday. Ahram Online
reported that <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Egypt</st1:country-region></st1:place>
is now preventing travelers from taking more than $10,000 out of the country. ---VOA
News<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>

Morsi Urges Egyptian Opposition to Engage After Constitution Enacted

By Edward Yeranian In an address on national TV Wednesday, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi congratulated Egyptians for votin...

Influential Egyptian Judges to Boycott Referendum on Constitution

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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">An influential group of Egyptian judges says
it will not oversee a December 15 referendum on a new constitution, a move that
could undermine the legitimacy of the charter supported by the nation's
Islamist president.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">In a statement published Sunday by state
news agency MENA, the Judges Club said its members unanimously agreed to
boycott the referendum, a voting process that Egyptian judges usually
supervise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Many Egyptian judges went on strike last
month to protest President Mohammed Morsi's decree barring courts from
challenging his decisions. The judges of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Egypt</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s top court joined them on
Sunday, saying they have suspended their work indefinitely because of what they
called "psychological and physical pressures."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The judges said they were afraid to enter
the <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Supreme Constitutional Court</st1:address></st1:street>
for a Sunday session in the midst of a rally by hundreds of Islamists outside
the building. Morsi's aides said the protest was peaceful. Many Islamists
complain that the top court is biased against them because its judges were
appointed by Hosni Mubarak, the longtime anti-Islamist president ousted last
year in a popular uprising.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Supreme Constitutional Court</st1:address></st1:street> had planned
to issue rulings that could have dissolved two Islamist-controlled assemblies -
the panel that drafted the new constitution and the upper house of parliament.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Islamist panel members adopted the charter
Friday, after rushing to finalize it before the court could rule. Christians
and liberals boycotted the assembly, accusing Morsi supporters of hijacking the
constitution-drafting process.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">President Morsi called for the December 15
referendum on the constitution after receiving the document Saturday. The draft
boosts the role of Islamic law in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Egypt</st1:place></st1:country-region> and makes no explicit mention
of women's rights. That has led rights groups and liberal Egyptians to fear a
potential erosion in civil liberties if it is approved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Morsi said his November 22 decree granting
himself sweeping powers will expire after the referendum. He has defended the
move as necessary to speed up <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Egypt</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s
transition to democracy. More than 100,000 Morsi supporters gathered in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Cairo</st1:place></st1:city> Saturday for a
rally organized by his Muslim Brotherhood movement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Opposition activists have been holding a
rival protest in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Cairo</st1:place></st1:city>'s
<st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Tahrir Square</st1:address></st1:street>
for more than a week, vowing to remain until President Morsi rescinds his decree,
which they see as giving him near dictatorial powers. In a statement Sunday, an
opposition coalition called on Egyptians to march peacefully to Morsi's
presidential palace on Tuesday to demand the scrapping of the referendum and
the draft constitution. ---VOA News  <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>

Influential Egyptian Judges to Boycott Referendum on Constitution

An influential group of Egyptian judges says it will not oversee a December 15 referendum on a new constitution, a move that could ...

Congo Plane Crash Kills 30 near Brazzaville

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiO6H_k7q8RRIApdOskY3Qav9ncSdINaochEtcMC9uhaJcl6auZEvzmccHcS4jzSpVYLt_1mjxYW0GzB90dzYmYRl0RrHdmji0X8iBDJscFeI0xDvE8mlAuBapn6yChLn_eM5OKDEXXG4/s1600/2012120310500111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiO6H_k7q8RRIApdOskY3Qav9ncSdINaochEtcMC9uhaJcl6auZEvzmccHcS4jzSpVYLt_1mjxYW0GzB90dzYmYRl0RrHdmji0X8iBDJscFeI0xDvE8mlAuBapn6yChLn_eM5OKDEXXG4/s1600/2012120310500111.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">NNN--- Rescue workers walk among the crash
site of a cargo airplane near the airport at <st1:city w:st="on">Brazzaville</st1:city>
in the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Republic</st1:placetype>
 of <st1:placename w:st="on">Congo</st1:placename></st1:place>’s capital on 1
December 2012. Emergency workers said at least 30 people were killed when a
cargo plane slammed into homes near <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Brazzaville</st1:place></st1:city>'s
airport. The victims included all six crew members of the Soviet-era cargo
plane, as well as local people who were killed when the plane skidded off the
runway and ploughed into a residential area. There was no official word on what
caused the crash. Witnesses said the aircraft was trying to land during a
violent storm. Photo courtesy Agencies---NNN<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Congo Plane Crash Kills 30 near Brazzaville

NNN--- Rescue workers walk among the crash site of a cargo airplane near the airport at Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo...

Sudan Government Arrest 12 over 'Coup Plot'

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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">KHARTOUM (RIA Novosti) - The Sudanese government arrested 12
top military officers on Thursday including former national security service
head Salah Abdalla Gosh, on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government,
Information Minister Ahmed Bilal Osman said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Sudan</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">'s national information center, which is
considered to be directed by the national security service, announced this
morning that an overnight coup attempt by civilian and military opposition
figures had been prevented.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">"They have been charged with fomenting chaos, persecuting
national leaders, and spreading rumors about the health of President Omar
Bashir," Osman said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">President Bashir returned to <st1:city w:st="on">Khartoum</st1:city>
from <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Saudi Arabia</st1:country-region></st1:place>
last week after a successful operation on his vocal cords, the government said.
He had previously had similar treatment in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Qatar</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Despite government
statements insisting he is in good health, rumors have persisted since he came
home that he is seriously ill.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">In April 2011 Bashir sacked Salaha Abdalla Gosh, one of the
most influential members of his regime, from his post as security adviser.
Prior to his appointment as presidential security adviser in 2009, Gosh served
as head of the National Intelligence and Security Service for seven years,
according to the Sudan Tribune.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">He had also headed the National Congress, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Sudan</st1:country-region>'s ruling party, in talks with South Sudan
over the disputed region of Abyei and was also responsible for cooperation with
the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">US</st1:country-region></st1:place>
on its antiterrorist campaign after the attacks on September 11, 2001.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Gosh was dismissed for criticism of the ruling party, according
to local media.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>

Sudan Government Arrest 12 over 'Coup Plot'

KHARTOUM (RIA Novosti) - The Sudanese government arrested 12 top military officers on Thursday including former national security ser...

Ethiopian Court Demands Justification for Journalist's Conviction

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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">By Marthe Van Der Wolf<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><br /></span></div>
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<st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Ethiopia</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">'s Federal Supreme Court has postponed
hearing an appeal of the conviction of prominent Ethiopian journalist Eskinder
Nega and opposition leader Andualem Arage. 
But the court gave its first indication Thursday that charges brought by
prosecutors under the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation may not be that strong by
demanding that prosecutors justify the June convictions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Journalist Eskinder Nega received an 18-year sentence, while
opposition politician Andualem Arage is serving life in prison on
terrorism-related charges.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Andualem’s lawyer, Abebe Guta, said the court has found many
irregularities in the prosecution's charges.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“As they scrutinized our ground of appeal they found so many
legal and factual irregularities," said Abebe. "Therefore, before the
ruling passes, that means before our appeal is accepted or approved, they
wanted to summon the prosecution officers to come and justify.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Maran Turner, the executive director of Freedom Now, a
Washington D.C.- based organization that works on individual prisoners of
conscience cases, said the latest developments are positive. Freedom Now has
been supporting Eskinder and brought his case before the United Nations Working
Group on Arbitrary Detention.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“It seems to me that the court also is confounded by the
charges against Eskinder and the other defendants," Turner said. "So
the fact that the court has postponed the case, it obviously acknowledges the
flaws that we see, which is that the charges themselves are flawed. In fact,
the case is flawed from the very beginning of arrest.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Eskinder, Anualem and more than 20 others were found guilty of
ties to a U.S.-based opposition group, Ginbot 7, classified as a terrorist
organization by the Ethiopian government.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Amnesty International and other rights advocacy groups have
said the trial was a sham used to silence dissent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The prosecution will need to justify its convictions before the
court on December 19. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">---VOA News<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>

Ethiopian Court Demands Justification for Journalist's Conviction

By Marthe Van Der Wolf Ethiopia 's Federal Supreme Court has postponed hearing an appeal of the conviction of prominent Eth...

CLIMATE CHANGE: Fungi Offer Non-GM Way to Enhance Food Crops

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiwH6zsCtETo5BADiUUxMXYGr0aHPHNRgbiYpJBQQBgHXB0HDUR7GtxIzr-hCDb64OQbaLDMIII1g9vRl-o6Uyee-uQzmFMouLsBA0tuSyheYqFwlklRQlVy8jtwN4_CVSwY877cS5TwI/s1600/201205151222210806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiwH6zsCtETo5BADiUUxMXYGr0aHPHNRgbiYpJBQQBgHXB0HDUR7GtxIzr-hCDb64OQbaLDMIII1g9vRl-o6Uyee-uQzmFMouLsBA0tuSyheYqFwlklRQlVy8jtwN4_CVSwY877cS5TwI/s1600/201205151222210806.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 8pt;">Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/plantstoriesproject/6931910350/"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">Plant Stories Project</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 8pt;">Race is on to find ways to be able to produce enough</span></div>
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<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">JOHANNESBURG</span></st1:city></st1:place><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> (IRIN) - As temperatures soar and droughts
increase in frequency, scientists around the world are working to create food
crops tolerant of extreme temperatures - often an expensive and laborious
process. But a cheaper and quicker alternative could be in sight, new research
suggests. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Fungi
and other microbes could enable food crops like maize, wheat and rice to grow
in high temperatures and salty soils, and even withstand erratic rainfall, say
microbiologists, who have begun to look at the relationship between plants and
micro-organisms for clues to their mutual survival through thousands of years
of climate change. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Making
food crops tolerant to climatic stresses could be as simple as coating seeds
with micro-organisms that can confer desired traits. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">A
matter of urgency<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Helping
food crops weather climate change is a matter of urgency, said experts from 15
research centres of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural
Research’s (CGIAR) Research Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food
Security. The programme had been asked by the UN to summarize the effects of
climate change on 22 of the most important agriculture crops, from staple
cereals to potatoes, lentils and commercial fruit crops like bananas. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Time
is of the essence, as droughts have already become more frequent and rainfall
more erratic in various parts of the world. By 2050, climate change could cause
irrigated wheat yields in developing countries to fall by 13 percent, says a
CGIAR review by senior scientist Philip Thornton. Irrigated rice yield could
fall by as much as 15 percent. In <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place>, many
farmers of maize could lose 10 to 20 percent of their yields. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">We
have always thought that plants had learned to adapt to climatic stresses like
high temperatures and drought, but now we find that microbiomes [communities of
microbes] within plants have conferred traits on them to be able to withstand
the stressSome temperature-tolerant new crops are already being grown in Asia, developed
by subjecting grain plants to stresses such as drought conditions, then
isolating genes from those that survive. But this kind of conventional breeding
is long-drawn process, often taking 10 to 15 years to develop a successful crop
variant. It is widely used because many Asian and African countries do not
accept genetically modified (GM) products. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Micro-organisms
could provide a faster option. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Microbiomes
aid survival <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">"We
have always thought that plants had learned to adapt to climatic stresses like
high temperatures and drought, but now we find that microbiomes [communities of
microbes] within plants have conferred traits on them to be able to withstand
the stress," said Rusty Rodriguez, a microbiologist affiliated with the
University of Washington, who recently established his own non-profit
organization (Symbiogenics) to conduct more research into the plant-microbe
symbiosis.  <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Human
and plant life is intertwined with that of micro-organisms. A human body
contains more bacteria than human cells; in several studies published this year,
members of the Human Microbiome Project reported that microbes "contribute
more genes responsible for human survival" than humans themselves. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The
new plant studies show that microbiomes are similarly crucial in the plant
world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Scientific
American reported in 2010 that Mary Lucero, a molecular biologist at the US
Department of Agriculture, had found fungi could help plants capture more
nitrogen from the atmosphere, reducing the need to apply chemical fertilizers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">More
recently, Rodriguez and his team have shown how a certain fungus, when
introduced to the seeds of maize, wheat, tomatoes, watermelons and other plants,
enabled those plants to withstand more than 50-degree Celsius temperatures. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">‘Results
within a year’ <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Rodriguez
says he took fungi from plants near the <st1:city w:st="on">hot springs</st1:city>
in the <st1:country-region w:st="on">US</st1:country-region>’s <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Yellowstone</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">National Park</st1:placetype></st1:place>. The stress tolerance
traits are only found in microbes found in those conditions; the same fungus
isolated from a non-stressed condition do not have those traits. His teams have
also undertaken missions to collect fungi from extreme conditions in the
Antarctic, Mount Everest in the Himalayas and the <st1:placename w:st="on">Great
 Basin</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Desert</st1:placetype> in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Rodriguez
said he and his team could likely find similar microbes in any part of the
world - for instance, in the <st1:place w:st="on">Sahel</st1:place> - and
conduct trials within the region to isolate the useful microbes. "We could
have results within a year," he said. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">He
has already conducted trials in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region> with maize and rice, and found
that yields can grow up to 10 percent in the case of rice in cold temperatures,
and up to 80 percent in the case of maize in high temperatures. The team is
awaiting the results of a trial in which maize was grown during the worst
drought to hit the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region>
in decades. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">He
has also isolated a virus in the fungus that makes plants even more resilient
to heat. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The
plan is to keep the costs of providing the technology to farmers very low.
"Corn in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region>
is sold in 42lbs [about 20 kg] bags. We want to keep the cost of coating the
seeds with microbes to under US$20 [per bag]," said Rodriguez <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Another
peer-reviewed study has shown that certain fungi can make rice plants more
tolerant to drought, salt and even cold while reducing water consumption by 20
to 30 percent. Salt tolerance is a sought-after trait in regions affected by
rising sea-levels and storm surges that cause saltwater intrusion, such as the
rice-growing regions of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Bangladesh</st1:country-region>
and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Vietnam</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Rodriguez
said he and others are looking for opportunities and funding to conduct trials
in <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place>, where this technology is
desperately needed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">This
point was also made by CGIAR’s <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Thornton</st1:place></st1:city>
in his paper Recalibrating Food Production in the Developing World: Global
Warming Will Change More Than Just the Climate, which explores the complexities
of climate change’s impact on crops. Some crops might be able to withstand high
temperature but could be sensitive to changes in rainfall. "Other crops
can tolerate seasonal flooding but are susceptible to new or increased levels
of pests and diseases brought on by high temperatures." <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">A
variety of changes must take place, including changes to the mix of crops being
grown, <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Thornton</st1:place></st1:city>
said in an email to IRIN. Research can help by "showing farmers not only
how to grow new crops but also how to utilize them in different ways (e.g., different
ways of preparing and cooking cassava). The socio-cultural aspects may be
difficult to deal with, but through a combination of market forces (changes in
relative prices of staples) and time, diets may change slowly,” he said. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><b>Circumventing
controversy? </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Meanwhile,
other researchers are exploring the use of GM to increase crop resilience. But
the safety of GM has been heatedly debated, with many activist groups, governments
and regulatory bodies calling for products containing GM ingredients to carry
special labels. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The
American Association for the Advancement of Science has recently come out
against labelling requirements. “These efforts are not driven by evidence that
GM foods are actually dangerous. Indeed, the science is quite clear: crop
improvement by the modern molecular techniques of biotechnology is safe.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The
microbiome studies might offer a way to circumvent these controversies, offering
faster and cheaper solutions without the patina of “mad science” often
attributed to GM products. The journal New Scientist reported this year that, unlike
genetic engineering, which takes years to induce plants to switch various
metabolic pathways to become more drought-tolerant, fungi can activate "them
all in one go." <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>

CLIMATE CHANGE: Fungi Offer Non-GM Way to Enhance Food Crops

Photo: Plant Stories Project Race is on to find ways to be able to produce enough JOHANNESBURG (IRIN) - As temperatures soar ...

Egypt's Coptics Choose New Pope

Egypt's Coptics Choose New Pope

By VOA News Egypt 's Coptic Christian Church has chosen a new pope. Bishop Tawadros became the new head the church earl...

30-40 Pct of Insurance Claims in Kenya Are Fradulent, Says Industry Executive

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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">An
NNN-Xinhua Special Report by Ben Ochieng<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<st1:city w:st="on"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">NAIROBI</span></st1:city><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> (NNN-XINHUA) -- <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Kenya</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s insurance firms say that
between 30 and 40 percent of all life insurance claims in the East African
country are fraudulent declarations with cases of life insurance claimants
faking death and "killing" spouses on the increase.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Pan
Africa Insurance Holdings chief executive officer Tom Gitogo said here
Wednesday that as a result of this, payments had tended to take longer than
necessary because all claims must be verified cautiously.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">"Insurance
companies have for long been accused of taking long to effect payment of claims.
However, due to the high turnover of fraudulent claims that are received for
compensation, close to a half of them are not genuine claims where fake
documents are submitted in a bid to effect payment," Gitogo said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Gitogo,
who is also a member of the conference organizing committee, said this when
highlighting the African Insurers Organization (AIO) conference which begins
here Thursday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">He
added that as a result of changed circumstances where a lot of dependency on
friends and relatives was decreasing during misfortunes, the insurance industry
was delving into ways of formalizing the informal insurance which had long been
applied to assist those who had fallen victims to misfortunes like deaths and
accidents.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">"One
can no longer rely on the informal insurance where their kin solved their
problems by pooling resources together because of the diminishing size of the
wallet," he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">He
regretted that by not teaching insurance earlier in the school curriculum, people
were growing up in ignorance on matters pertaining to the industry and were
only coming into contact with it later in adulthood.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The
conference, which will run for two days, under the theme "Enhancing Value
and Trust in Life Insurance Distribution for Magical Growth in Africa", has
attracted more than 300 delegates from 45 countries in <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place>
and will cover various topics pertaining to life insurance business, including
the use of technology to enhance growth in the industry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">AIO
Chairman Clerand Cofie Bruce life insurance was significant to a country
because apart from its obvious noteworthiness, it was also a source of income
which could impact positively on economic growth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">"Life
insurance penetration in <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place> is
considerably low at an average one per cent. Doubling this figure to two per
cent can make a big difference in the economy of a country," said the
Ghanaian national.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">He
said in a continent where the majority lived on less than 1.25 USD per day, it
was understandable why the penetration rate was low but added that it was not
an excuse for things to remain the same because the industry could come out
with tailor-made products for those in the informal market.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">"In
<st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place>, the informal market is bigger than the
formal market, and therefore it is not easy for those who are struggling to put
food on the table to have money to spare for insurance purposes. They must have
their own products made to meet their needs."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The
Executive Director of the Association of Kenya Insurers, Tom Gichuhi, attributed
the low insurance penetration in the continent to low purchasing power and lack
of awareness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">"Insurance
penetration in Africa is highest in <st1:country-region w:st="on">South Africa</st1:country-region>
and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Kenya</st1:place></st1:country-region>
where it stands at 3.05 per cent, though in most other countries it averages at
one per cent. Everyone needs insurance, but the capacity is not there for the
majority of the people," Gichuhi said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The
Africa Insurers Organization was established in 1972 as a non-governmental
organization and is recognized by many African governments. Its objective is to
develop a healthy insurance and reinsurance industry in Africa and promote co-operation
in <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place>. -- NNN-XINHUA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>

30-40 Pct of Insurance Claims in Kenya Are Fradulent, Says Industry Executive

An NNN-Xinhua Special Report by Ben Ochieng NAIROBI (NNN-XINHUA) -- Kenya 's insurance firms say that between 30 and 40 percen...

'Future Earth' Discusses Sustainable Development Challenges for Africa

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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">By
Anita Powell<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Scientists
and lawmakers meeting in <st1:city w:st="on">Cape Town</st1:city> discuss ways
of promoting sustainable development in sub-Saharan <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place>.  But as I learned first-hand, the challenges
are many. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">I
attempted to interview an expert ahead of the Future Earth conference about
ways of boosting sustainable development in <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">As
if to illustrate the point, though, the electricity in my <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Johannesburg</st1:place></st1:city> home went out as I was about to
make the late-night call - plunging my entire neighborhood into darkness and
knocking out my equipment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">When
we finally caught up the next day, Tanya Abrahamse said electrical power is one
of the challenges the panel is discussing as they meet this week in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Cape Town</st1:place></st1:city>. Abrahamse is
CEO of the South African National Biodiversity Institute.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Energy
is a major issue, she says, given the rise of African megacities - like <st1:city w:st="on">Lagos</st1:city> in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Nigeria</st1:place></st1:country-region>
- and the fact that not every nation has the same resources or needs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Future
Earth is an international 10-year initiative that brings together scientists, academics
and policymakers to research sustainable solutions that will address the
challenges of development and environmental change.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">It
sounds complicated, and this week’s meeting is just one step in what will be a
long process, but Abrahamse says it boils down to some very basic needs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“So
for example, we’ve identified water, and all the elements around water: water
management, water quality, water quantity, water analysis, understanding
groundwater, understanding water under the ground, understanding rainfall
patterns, water flow, degradation of waterways, use of water for energy, etcetera,
etcetera," she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Water
is serious business in <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place> and can have
major effects on societies.  A drought
last year killed tens of thousands of people in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Somalia</st1:place></st1:country-region> and other East African
nations.  Nine African nations have spent
more than a decade negotiating over rights to the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Nile</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">River</st1:placetype></st1:place>.  And <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place>
experts have long warned of the potential of major conflict over water on the
continent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Abrahamse
stresses that this meeting in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Cape
  Town</st1:place></st1:city> is only one step, and one that takes into account
complicated factors in the fields of social and natural science.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">But
the end goal is one that is easy to understand. 
It’s a higher quality of life for Africans, a future with sustainable
solutions on food, water, health - and yes, energy - for all. ---VOA News<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
</div>

'Future Earth' Discusses Sustainable Development Challenges for Africa

By Anita Powell Scientists and lawmakers meeting in Cape Town discuss ways of promoting sustainable development in sub-Saharan A...

Kenya Has No Proper System to Support County Governments: World Bank Report

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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">By O'Brien Kimani<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">NAIROBI
(NNN-KBC) -- Kenya does not have a proper financial and technical system to
support the county governments it proposes to establish less than six months
before it is due to adopt a devolved system of governance, according to a World
Bank report launched here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The
report says that the government should develop a county financial management
system to eliminate corruption and misappropriation of funds at the county
level although it commends the government for laying out a clear transition
framework.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The
report, entitled "Devolution without disruption", is the first
comprehensive study to be conducted on the challenges and opportunities facing
the country as it gears for the devolved system of government. It cites the
lack of a financial management system at the county level and the lack of clear
policy on equal distribution of resources.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">World
Bank Country Director Johannes Zutt said at the launch of the report here
Wednesday that although <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Kenya</st1:place></st1:country>
had a qualified human resource, there was no clearly defined mechanism on how
public servants would be seconded to the county administrations and which
supervisory authority they would come under.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">So
far, the government has allocated the devolution process 35 billion shillings
(one USD = about 85.15 shillings) to help in setting up offices and the support
staff for county officials. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The
report says that the 5.5 billion shillings set aside for the equalization fund
is still very small and there should be a framework on how the fund will be
distributed from the central government.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Zutt
also commended the revenue-sharing mechanism developed by the Commission for
Revenue Allocation, saying that it was likely to spur growth and direct
resources where it was needed most.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The
World Bank has committed to helping the government with technical and financial
support in the devolution process. -- NNN-KBC<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>

Kenya Has No Proper System to Support County Governments: World Bank Report

By O'Brien Kimani NAIROBI (NNN-KBC) -- Kenya does not have a proper financial and technical system to support the county govern...

Libya Marks 1st 'Liberation' Anniversary

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvvsaN90KOJt5eyPAmUw0OtARTI12e5exNFrV7lDnig1fxAbSvfnRUJgykRPcG9EBfD9iFZu218kIzYm-nvydDRUiSG1ZC2Eal6LOK39KaWyZ4m0b9FHdHLdz_nhkatdSuP_AEKnGGRdo/s1600/2012102416093444.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvvsaN90KOJt5eyPAmUw0OtARTI12e5exNFrV7lDnig1fxAbSvfnRUJgykRPcG9EBfD9iFZu218kIzYm-nvydDRUiSG1ZC2Eal6LOK39KaWyZ4m0b9FHdHLdz_nhkatdSuP_AEKnGGRdo/s1600/2012102416093444.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">NNN---
Libyan girls wear traditional outfits during celebrations to mark the first
anniversary of the country's "liberation" on 23 October 2012. <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Libya</st1:place></st1:country>
celebrated the first anniversary of its "liberation" from the regime
of Moamer Gaddafi, even as fighting flared in a former bastion of the slain
dictator. On October 23, 2011, just three days after Gaddafi was captured and
killed in his hometown Sirte, the transitional authorities declared the
country's liberation, formally ceasing hostilities. The day was observed as a
public holiday across <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Libya</st1:place></st1:country>.
Photo courtesy agencies---NNN<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Libya Marks 1st 'Liberation' Anniversary

NNN--- Libyan girls wear traditional outfits during celebrations to mark the first anniversary of the country's "liber...

Africa's Vulnerable People Go Unseen, Says South African President

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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">By Irene Naidoo<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA (NNN-SANEWS) -- Africa's most vulnerable people are unseen and unaccounted for because there is no record of their existence, says South African President Jacob Zuma.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">Speaking at the 2nd Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Conference here Thursday, he expressed concern over the scandal on invisibility, a situation where people are born and die without ever leaving a trace in any legal record of their existence.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">"It has meant that the most vulnerable people in Africa remain unseen and not counted. They practically do not exist," he pointed out.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">It was important for the citizens of all of Africa's 54 countries to be registered, a feat which could only achieved through efficient civil and registration systems. Once everyone in Africa was registered and accounted for, the continent could plan better for its people and its development, President Zuma added.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">"Central to the advancement of Africa's development is the social inclusion agenda, which we cannot successfully accomplish without proper and modern civil registration systems," he stressed, pointing out that civil registration and vital statistics were significant as part of the fulfillment of the dream of the African people to shape their mother land in their own way, following the defeat of colonialism.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">The conference, being held in the Indian Ocean port city of Durban from Sept 3 to 7, is part of the exercise of Africa conducting its own affairs, as well as undoing the legacy of colonialism which deprived Africans of identity and citizenship.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">"Africa cannot fulfill its development agenda unless we know, who we are, where we live, work and play and what we need to better our living conditions on the continent. Births, marriages, divorces or deaths are all vital events that must be recorded in any country," said President Zuma.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">In the current age of globalisation and greater interdependence among countries, civil registration was much more than about just identifying a person's nationality. "It is also a pre-requisite for the successful implementation of African regional integration, as it facilitates the smooth movement of people among countries," he added.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">"Furthermore, the benefits of good vital registration have a far reaching impact on broad developmental programmes such as the planning and monitoring of education, health, social security, unemployment." <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">This included countries' abilities to measure health inequalities, priorities, monitor trends, evaluate development programmes including, the Millennium Development Goals, poverty reduction and other developmental efforts.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">Civil registration and vital statistics were also important in the implementation of policies for community planning, monitoring inequalities and future planning and resource allocation, he noted. "More importantly, civil registration is a critical tool for the promotion of democracy, in the event of the compilation of voters' rolls," he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">Africans found themselves promoting civil registration in day and age due to the history of the continent and respective countries. "For example, South Africa, like other countries in Africa, comes from a history of colonial and apartheid regimes where most of the citizens were denied their right to citizenship. As a result, a largely fragmented and selective civil registration system was used to perpetuate the discrimination and marginalisation of the majority of the population," he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">The colonial and apartheid regimes successfully used this system to deliberately and systematically prevent the African masses from exercising their right to vote and choose their own governments, President Zuma added.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">Since 1994, the South African government has worked hard to ensure that citizens reclaimed their birth right and that their dignity was restored. The country had recorded many successes with regards to its civil registration system and campaigns, the president noted.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">He assured delegates from the rest of the Africa, that Home Affairs (Interior) Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, who headed South Africa's civil registration campaign in recent years, would invest similar efforts into regional campaigns when she takes up office as the next African Union (AU) Commission chairperson.-- NNN-SANEWS<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span><o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

Africa's Vulnerable People Go Unseen, Says South African President

By Irene Naidoo DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA (NNN-SANEWS) -- Africa's most vulnerable people are unseen and unaccounted for because there is ...